John H

The Civil War Service of John H. Lucas Jr and Joel Lucas

October 1, 2012

John H. Lucas Jr., my Paternal Great Great Grandfather, was the oldest Son of John H. Lucas Sr. who had arrived from Manningtree, East Anglia, Essex, England in 1818 aboard one of his Father’s merchant ships from England. Being of country gentry stock, John had been sent away to a University. Instead of pursuing his studies, he had spent his time socializing in London. When John B. Lucas, Esquire learned of this, he asked an old friend who was Captain of one of his merchant ships to take his son aboard and teach him a little discipline. His descendants by his second wife tell it that John was flogged for misconduct while aboard ship.

When the ship docked in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, john jumped ship and took a barge up the Roanoke River to above Weldon and went ashore. He worked his way southwest to Louisburg, N.C. where he was befriended by a lawyer named Thomas Pugh.

On March 30, 1830, John married Martha Yarborough in Warren County. He moved into Halifax County where he settled near Essex as a farmer. He raised his first family in the Essex area until Martha Yarborough died in 1847;

After that he married Rhonda Ann Butts of Drapers Crossroads in December, 1847 and moved his family to the Aurelian Springs area which was known as Webbs Crossroads. He lived there until he dies in 1860 of what was termed as “brain fever.” In 1854 John’s second child, Martha Lucas, by his first wife married his second wife’s younger brother, Matthew W. Butts.

John is buried in the Hardee family cemetery just east of IS 95, 2.7 miles south east of Heathsville; just beyond the underpass under IS 95. His grave is a narrow vertical monument with the following “An honest man is the noblest work of God.”

John H. Lucas Sr. , born April, 1804 in Manningtree, England married Martha Yarborough on March 30, 1830 and they had 5 children before she died:

 John H. Lucas Jr on Jan 8, 1831,

James on Dec 30, 1832,

Jane on Jan 8, 1833,

Martha Patricia on Jan 12, 1834,  and

Joel on Apr 17, 1843).

John H. Lucas Sr. and Rhoda Butts had 5 children:

Daughter Willie C. on Aug 7, 1848,

Louvenia (Beannie) on Jul 10, 1850,

Francisca (Fannie) on Dec 27, 1851,

Henrietta (Ella) on Sep 25, 1852 and

Matthew on Apr 11, 1857.

John H. Lucas Jr. married Sarah Ann (Sallie) Etheridge on July 28, 1851 in Halifax County when he was 20 years old and they had 9 children:

James Walter on Mar 3, 1856,

John David on Feb 12, 1858,

Anna Oleathia on Apr 4, 1860,

John B. II on Oct 11, 1861,

Montgomery Gum on Jun 25, 1866,

Littleberry on Apr 4, 1868,

Margaret A. (Mag) on Aug 14, 1872,

Louis Harvey on Mar 3, 1873 and

Richard William on September 16, 1875.

John H. Lucas Jr. was a farmer living in Halifax County when the Civil War started in 1861. He was 30 years old and had 4 children when he enlisted. His Brother Joel was 18 years old and unmarried.

John Enlists

The NC Civil War Infantry Regimental Records Vol Vii provides a history of the 24th regiment. The records are available at the Halifax County Library in Halifax. Originally it was founded as the 14th Volunteer regiment for the period of 12 months in July, 1861 under the command of Colonel William J. Clarke based in Weldon. Originally it had 9 companies but added Company D in May, 1862 when John enlisted May 15 at the age of 32…and with 4 young children. On May 16th, as a result of the Conscription Act, the regiment was reorganized as the 24th regiment NC with troops to serve for 3 years or whenever the war ended.  Brother Joel, then about 19 and single apparently was not conscripted …nor did he volunteer at that time. Company D was under the command of Capt. David C. Clark.

Shortly thereafter, John’s first cousin Matthew Wilson Butts enlisted on July 15, 1862 in to Company K 1st infantry Regiment   On May 12, 1864…just 5 weeks prior to John and Joel’s capture, Mathew was captured at Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia and confined to Pt.. Lookout, Md until August and then transferred to Elmira, NY where he died of Chronic Diarrhea on Nov 12, 1864.

John’s Uncle Sterling Brown Carlisle married his Sister Louvenia on Jan 11, 1870. Carlisle served in the NC 12th regiment Company I.  Carlisle was born in 1844 and must have been a teenager while serving during the war.

24th Regiment NC

In 1862, Union troops under the Command of George B. McClellan were advancing to the peninsula between the York and James Rivers. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston was in command of Confederate troops defending Richmond. By June 9th the 24th regiment had joined 5 other NC regiments as the Second Brigade in Petersburg under the command of Gen Robert Ransom Jr. By June 25th, the 24th Regiment was involved in a skirmish near Richmond known as Kings Schoolhouse where 2 men were killed and 7 wounded.

The Brigade was shifted to the Command of Robert E. Lee of the Army of Northern Virginia and on July 1 and was engaged in Malvern Hill near the Chickahominy River as part of the Seven Days Campaign. Ransom’s Brigade was called out on the “double quick” to support Gen. John B. Magruder’s defense. During that campaign 8 men were killed, 42 wounded and 12 missing.

Antietam, Sep 1862

After maneuvers between Richmond and Petersburg, the Second Brigade along with Gen. John G. Walker’s Brigade was designated a Division and joined Longstreet’s Corp s near Leesburg on Sept 3 and the next day forded the Potomac River for Lee’s planned assault on Frederick, MD.

Walker’s Division captured the aqueduct of the C & D canal at the mouth of the Monocacy River on Sep 9th. Later the Division played a role in capturing the Harpers Ferry garrison on Sep 15.

Maj. Gen. Lafayette McLaws and Brig. Gen. John G. Walker, were making their move on Harpers Ferry. Walker was to take his division across the Potomac at Cheek's Ford. Upon making a reconnaissance of the area, however, Walker's scouts discovered a superior Federal force at Cheek's Ford, so Walker marched his men to Point of Rocks, Md., and crossed the Potomac there. This was all accomplished on September 11.

On the 12th, Walker's forces reached Hillsboro, Va., and halted for the night. By 10 o'clock on the morning of the 13th, Walker arrived at the foot of Loudoun Heights. He detached two regiments the 27th North Carolina and the 30th Virginia under Colonel J.R. Cooke–to climb the heights and take possession of them but not to reveal the Confederate presence to the garrison at Harpers Ferry if he found the heights unopposed. The balance of Walker’s Division …including the 24th North Carolinas…apparently did not climb the heights.

At 2 p.m., Cooke reported that the heights had been taken with no opposition. Walker now set up lines of communication in order to inform Jackson of his position and readiness to attack. By 8 o'clock the next morning, the 14th, Walker had placed five long-range Parrott rifled cannons on the mountain, and by 10:30 he had informed Jackson of that accomplishment.

As McLaws' artillery began firing, General Walker also ordered his batteries to open fire. The fire was effective, and the Union troops were driven from their works and into the town. Jackson, meanwhile, had resumed his march toward Harpers Ferry on September 13, and early that afternoon he and his division camped in the vicinity of Halltown, about two miles from Bolivar Heights.

At about that time, Maj. Gen. Ambrose Powell Hill (who had been under arrest since the crossing of the Potomac in early September for having been a half-hour late marching his troops) asked a member of Jackson's staff, Lieutenant Henry Kyd Douglas, to plead Hill's case before Jackson and ask for reinstatement until the pending action was over, at which time he would report himself under arrest again. According to Douglas, Jackson would not refuse a request to be permitted to fight, and Hill was directed at once to take command of his old division.

Jackson spent Sunday the 14th opening communication with Walker and McLaws and coordinating commands for the attack on Harpers Ferry the next day. By now, Jackson had realized the Federals were trying to advance through the South Mountain gaps to relieve Harpers Ferry–time was of the essence! His work at Harpers Ferry had to be accomplished speedily to enable the Confederate forces at Harpers Ferry to rejoin Lee in Maryland.

At daylight on September 15, accordingly, both McLaws and Walker opened fire on the town itself, while A.P. Hill's division advanced from the rear upon Bolivar Heights–along the west bank of the Shenandoah River. The Confederate artillery from both the Loudoun and Maryland heights was especially effective because of their elevation. As the Confederate guns dropped their shells on the garrison, several parts of the town itself were subjected to the devastating hail of fire. A distant relative of the author, Mrs. Jessie (Engle) Johnson, was witness to the scene. She later wrote: 'Several houses in Bolivar had been struck and were burning. Women and children were running in danger of being struck, some fainting, all crying. Major Young's house next to ours was hit with a bomb which tore up three rooms. Our dining room, in the basement, was full of women and children; we had to keep it dark for a fear of light would draw fire from the mountain on the Maryland side. One cannot portray with words this awful scene.'

The shelling made it difficult for the Union guns to make an effective reply. After about an hour the Union artillery had been all but silenced, and Hill's infantry was ready to storm the town. As Brig. Gen. William Dorsey Pender then advanced at the head of Hill's division, the Federal batteries reopened. Hill then moved Captain William J. Pegram's and Captain Carpenter's batteries to within 400 yards of the Federal works and poured a furious rain of enfilading fire into the Union positions.

Confusion reigned in the Federal garrison. Union General White had taken over the command just moments before when Colonel Miles fell, mortally wounded. White now realized that defeat was imminent. He gave the order to surrender. And so, about 8 o'clock on the morning of September 15, the Federal garrison at Harpers Ferry capitulated and the Confederates occupied the town.

At little cost to Jackson and his men, the Federals surrendered about 11,500 men, 13,000 stacked arms and 73 pieces of artillery. About 1,300 Union cavalrymen under the command of Colonel Benjamin Franklin Davis were the only Federals to escape. They had left Harpers Ferry during the night of the 14th and had made their way along an unguarded road at the base of Maryland Heights. That outfit, the 8th New York, along with a company from the 12th Illinois and two companies of Rhode Island and Maryland Cavalry, made its way toward Hagerstown and, on the 15th, attacked a part of Longstreet's wagon train, destroying about 40 wagons, before eventually rejoining the Union Army near Sharpsburg, Md.

The surrender of Harpers Ferry left many questions to be answered by the Union side, the two most important being why had U.S. Army Chief of Staff General Henry Halleck insisted on holding Harpers Ferry against McClellan's advice, and why had Colonel Miles not concentrated on holding Maryland Heights and putting up a more spirited defense? On September 23, an official inquiry was launched concerning the surrender. The commission found Colonel Miles, General White and Colonel Thomas H. Ford (the Union commander on Maryland Heights) guilty of 'improper conduct that led to the shameful surrender of Harpers Ferry.' Since Miles was dead, General White and Colonel Ford were both arrested and dismissed from the service by order of the president.

The fact is, they had been defeated by a master tactician at his best–although Stonewall Jackson still is better known for his Valley campaign than his equally brilliant tactics at Harpers Ferry. The Confederates now were able to consolidate their forces with Lee just in the nick of time to save the Army of Northern Virginia from being split and shattered at the bloody Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862. Lee's lieutenants had done the job for him once again by capturing Harpers Ferry with a minimum of Confederate bloodshed, thus keeping open his vital lines of supply and communication.

With the Federal Army under McClellan massing in Sharpsburg, Lee concentrated his troops there and Walker’s Division was in position on the right flank. On the 17th General Stonewall Jackson’s Corps was assaulted on the left flank and Walker’s Division was called to reinforce them around 3 AM in the morning of the 17th.

Jackson’s Corps were about ½ mile south of Sharpsburg by mid morning with the 24th regiment on the far left.  During the confusion the 24th became commanded for awhile by Gen Jeb Stuart and occupied a position on the far left. During the battle, the 24th regiment lost 20 men killed, 42 wounded and 2 missing.

The twelve hour battle began at dawn on the 17th. For the next seven hours there were three major Union attacks on the Confederate left, moving from north to south. Gen. Joseph Hooker’s command led the first Union assault. Then Gen. Joseph Mansfield’s soldiers attacked, followed by Gen. Edwin Sumner’s men as McClellan’s plan broke down into a series of uncoordinated Union advances. Savage, incomparable combat raged across the Cornfield, East Woods, West Woods and the Sunken Road as Lee shifted his men to withstand each of the Union thrusts. After clashing for over eight hours, the Confederates were pushed back but not broken, however over 15,000 soldiers were killed or wounded.

While the Union assaults were being made on the Sunken Road, a mile-and-a-half farther south Union Gen. Ambrose Burnside opened the attack on the Confederate right. His first task would be to capture the bridge that would later bear his name. A small Confederate force, positioned on higher ground, was able to delay Burnside for three hours. After taking the bridge at about 1:00 p.m., Burnside reorganized for two hours before moving forward across the arduous terrain—a critical delay.

Finally the advance started only to be turned back by Confederate General A.P. Hill’s reinforcements that arrived in the late afternoon from Harpers Ferry. Neither flank of the Confederate army collapsed far enough for McClellan to advance his center

attack, leaving a sizable Union force that never entered the battle. Despite over 23,000 casualties of the nearly 100,000 engaged, both armies stubbornly held their ground as the sun set on the devastated

landscape.

The next day, September 18, the opposing armies gathered their wounded and buried their dead. That night Lee’s army  withdrew back across the Potomac to Virginia, ending Lee’s first invasion into the North. Lee’s retreat to Virginia provided President Lincoln the opportunity he had been waiting for to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. Now the war had a dual purpose of preserving the Union and ending slavery.

Longstreet’s Corps moved south to an area near Culpepper Courthouse in Orange County, Va on Oct 28. Of interest is that my Maternal Great Grandfather Charles M. Harris was farming near the area and in early 1864 would join the Stafford County Light Artillery. My Mother Florence was raised on another farm in orange County after her birth in May, 1916.

Fredericksburg, Dec 1862

General Robert Ransom took over command of the Division when it was moved as part of Longstreet’s Corps to defend Fredericksburg. The 24th Regiment was moved on the evening of December 11th to the road at the foot of Marye’s Heights as part of the line of Gen T. R.R. Cobb’s Brigade. Burnside’s Army crossed the river and occupied Fredericksburg on Dec 11 -12. Beginning late in the morning of the 13th, the Division while defending the artillery position was repeatedly assaulted by Union troops. Ransom reported that the 24th was finally relieved after being in a ditch for 2 days. The 24th only lost 4 men killed and 24 wounded.

1863 Brother Joel Enlists

In Jan, 1863 The Brigade was ordered to North Carolina to defend the Wilmington & Weldon railroad, the so-called “lifeblood” of the Confederacy. Because Wilmington, NC was the source of supplies from sea and the railroad was the only route north to Petersburg, the Wilmington & Weldon railroad became a critical as part of the defense of Virginia.

The brigade was moved back and forth between Wilmington and Goldsboro, NC throughout the first half of 1863 when in July Regimental Commander Gen Mathew Ransom took command of the Division.

Moved north to the Chickahominy, Richmond and Petersburg in July, the brigade returned to Garysburg NC. Joel Lucas enlisted in Northampton, NC on July 31 and was assigned to Company D along with John H. Lucas Jr. For the remainder of 1863, the regiment remained on various picket duties in NC and thus missed Lee’s thrust in to Pennsylvania resulting in Pickett’s Charge in Gettysburg on July 3, 1863.

1864

General George E. Pickett in 1864 led an attempt to recapture New Bern, NC from the Union troops in January and Ransom’s Brigade joined the effort. Ransom’s Brigade moved on the south side of the Trent River as part of Gen Seth Barton’s unsuccessful effort.

The Albermarle

After taking part in the effort to drive the Federals down the Dismal Swamp Canal to within 12 miles of Norfolk, the Brigade was moved back to Tarboro as part of Gen Robert F. Hoke’s assault on the Roanoke River town on Plymouth… close to where John H. Lucas Jr’s Father had jumped ship in the early 1820’s.

In the meantime, in Halifax the Confederate shipbuilders had constructed the Ironclad ram Albermarle which descended the Roanoke to prevent federal ships from escaping or reinforcement. The Albermarle arrived on the 20th and the Brigade successfully recaptured Fort Williams.

Cold Harbor and the Siege at Petersburg

In early May while Gen Hoke was preparing to recapture New Bern, the Division was called up to Petersburg to defend against the federals under Gen Benjamin  F. Butler. Gen P. G. T. Beauregard moved Hoke’s Division and the 24th Regiment was engaged in defense of Drewry’s Bluff on May 12- 16 and the forces that bottled up Butler at Bermuda Hundred on May 16-20.

The Brigade moved to Bottom’s Bridge and Chaffin’s farm to support Lee’s victory over Grant at Cold Harbor in early June.

But then Ransom’s Brigade was ordered back to defend Petersburg.  Marching all night on June 15th, they arrived the next morning when they were immediately sent into the line east of the city where they were under attack all day. The night of the 16th, the Brigade drove the enemy from some captured works and then fell back to a new defense line where they repulsed a Federal attack the morning of the 17th. That evening Ransom’s brigade was relieved by reinforcements from the Army of Northern Virginia.

Sometime on the 17th, perhaps when falling back to a new defense line, the Brothers John and Joel Lucas were captured. During that same time, my Maternal Great Grandfather Charles M. Harris with the Stafford County Light Artillery was also participating in the siege at Petersburg. It’s an interesting observation that my paternal Great Great Grandfather and my maternal Great Grandfather were within miles of each other on the 16 & 17th of June, 1864.

Both Brothers were shipped to Point Lookout, MD at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay where the Potomac River empties. On July 27, 1864 both were transferred to Elmira, NY…the primary federal prison. John spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner. He was released on July 17, 1865 about 3 ½ months after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. He had to swear the Oath of Allegiance in order to be released.

Joel, on the other hand, was paroled on Oct 11, 1864 and transferred to Venus Point, Savannah river, GA for a prisoner exchange on Nov 15. Why was Joel transferred and not John?  Perhaps because he was 12 years younger or in better physical condition or he volunteered, we will probably never know. We know that Joel returned to duty and was recaptured at Fort Stedman on Mar 25, 1865. Apparently, Joel had rejoined the 24th Regiment once he was exchanged in Georgia. Joel was confined to Point Lookout until June 18, 1865 when he was released after taking the Oath of Allegiance. Later Joel married Lucy Collins on Dec 23, 1868 and together they had 12 children!

Battle of the Crater

In the meantime, the “Battle of the Crater” on July 30, 1864 resulted in the loss of 14 men killed, 60 wounded and 8 missing in Ransom’s brigade. In August the Brigade took part in defense of the right side of the siege line and remained in the trenches until March, 1865. Many viewed the siege at Petersburg as the forerunner to the trench warfare of WWI. Apparently, Joel Lucas rejoined the Regiment in the trenches some time between his release in late 1864 in Georgia. On Mar 24-25, the Brigade participated in the defense of Fort Stedman. Early on March 25th, the Brigade launched an assault which after some success was repulsed by the Federal counterattack. According to the Regimental history “Many Confederate units were cut off or forced to retire over open ground, and Ransom’s Brigade suffered heavy casualties. Two companies of the 24th regiment lost over half their number as prisoners of war. ” Joel Lucas was alive…as a P.O.W. again.

Appomattox

The Brigade fought under Pickett’s leadership in defending the right flank on April 1 at Five Forks and Hatcher’s Run where there were many more casualties and prisoners taken. Lee’s retreat to Appomattox included significant losses at Amelia Courthouse but Ransom’s brigade under Gen John B. Gordon’s Corps survived. On April 9, 1865 at Appomattox Courthouse, there were only 55 members of the 24th regiment present to receive their parole.

My Maternal Great Grandfather Charles M. Harris surrendered as part of the Stafford Light Artillery and was one of only 5 men left from a unit that had over 250 men during the war.

Commander of the 24th regiment Colonel William J. Clarke was a native of Bexar County, Texas and led it until his capture at Dinwiddie Courthouse on Feb 5, 1865.

Company D was composed primarily of Halifax County men and was enlisted in May 15, 1862. Company Commander Capt David Clark resigned in Sep, 1862 because his wife was dying and he had 4 children of which the oldest was 7 years old.

William J. Squiggins enlisted at age 34 and appointed as First Lt of Company D on May 15, 1862. He was promoted to Captain of Company D on Nov 17, 1862. He was wounded in the face on March 25, 1865 at Fort Stedman (the same day Joel Lucas was captured) and hospitalized for the remainder.

I have not been able to find out who commanded Company D for the balance of the war.

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I am grateful for the following contribution by James Lucas from Pennsylvania USA. James has consented to the inclusion which helps us understand how our family has helped shape the ‘new world’

From my research and understanding I am wondering if John was slightly over stating the wealth and position of his family back home.

Certainly John B was a Master Mariner, and would have captained ships during his career and he could well have owner smaller river craft which has been the case within the family until fairly recent times.

I have no record of John H going to University which was only available to the very privileged.

Up to the English Civil wars, the family were indeed Landed Gentry, however most of the land and positions had been lost during ‘Cromwell’s Commonwealth’.

John Lucas